Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Rejects Armenia's Demand

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has rejected Armenia's demand for special security guarantees for around 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of a new round of peace negotiations.

In an interview with Reuters, Bayramov stated that such guarantees are unnecessary and that the demand constitutes interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. He emphasized, “We do not accept such preconditions for a number of reasons. The most fundamental is the following: this is an internal, sovereign issue. Azerbaijan's constitution and several international conventions to which Azerbaijan is a party ensure all necessary conditions for the rights of this population to be guaranteed.”

Bayramov further added that ethnic Armenians can use and be educated in their language, and maintain their culture, provided they integrate into Azerbaijani society and state structures like other ethnic and religious minorities.